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20110605

First things first: I’ve got TWO new comics for you to follow! The first is my new main project, Monster Pulse, which I am launching TODAY. This is my new main comic. It’s a little different from Bobwhite, more of an adventure story, but I’m extremely excited about it and I think you will be too. I’ve been working hard on it and it’s got a lot of themes and subjects that are close to my heart. I don’t want to say too much about it, head on over and check it out for yourself. I’ve also got Dracula Mystery Club, which I am working on with Kel McDonald and Amanda Lefrenais, and it’s a great vampire satire that I think you’ll enjoy.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about Bobwhite.

Three years isn’t a huge amount of time, but when I think about the past three years I’ve spent doing Bobwhite, it’s amazing to me how much I have changed and grown. I started Bobwhite because I wanted to write about girls who I felt were missing from the kind of college movies and tv shows I was watching. Girls who didn’t have life magically figured out, who talked about stupid stuff and wasted their time doing dumb things. Girls who couldn’t always get what they wanted and made mistakes as often as they made good decisions. Girls who I felt resembled myself and the people I knew. I also wanted to write about college as I experienced it- where there weren’t always wild parties to go to and amazing, crazy, life-changing events every other night.

Bobwhite has helped me to learn a lot about writing and storytelling and pacing, and about art as well. It’s also helped me figure my own life. It’s often been incredibly cathartic to have characters to write about who were so similar to me, who could go through the same troubles I was. The past three years have also, personally, been incredibly formative. I feel as though the person who started Bobwhite is a different person than the one ending it. Though I still feel unsure and scared of the future sometimes, and I certainly still make mistakes, I’ve come to a place where I don’t feel as strong a need to make that the focus of my writing. I’m ready to move on, as Cleo, Ivy and Marlene are moving on.

As cliche as it is to say, I don’t really feel like Bobwhite is ending. I’m not going to make comics about them anymore, but Ivy, Marlene and Cleo are gonna grow up and keep on living and changing. I have some ideas for what they might do after college, but I don’t really want to write an “epilogue” or anything like that. It’s up to you to imagine what they are up to in their life from now on.

Because after all, I couldn’t have done this without you, the readers. I’m amazed and humbled by the comments and support I’ve been getting since I announced Bobwhite was ending- indeed, since I started drawing Bobwhite. You are all incredible and made this more than worth it. I’m glad some of you have come to think of the girls as friends and people you know- and I hope you will continue to feel that way even now that the comic is over. I know I do. Thank you all so much.

Thanks for making such an awesome comic! I just started reading not too long ago, but I’ve read all of it several times now, and every time I laughed harder. I loved reading about these three and I can’t wait to start reading your other comics as well. Thank YOU and keep up the excellent work.

Oh, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry, but here I am, tearing up! Thank *you* for giving the world a much-needed dorky girl comic. It’s meant a lot. I’ll miss the girls (and the boys, and Frank…) but I’m excited about your new projects!

Absolutely. Thank you for creating a comic that was excellent day in and day out, and thank you for creating something that didn’t rely on the same half-dozen caricatures of what it means to be a woman that permeate media.

Have to say I’d sad to see this comic go, in my mind its one of most consistently hilarious webcomics I have ever read. And I do not say that lightly. And, to be honest with myself, that its a finite run ultimately makes it all the better. It will always be perfect, and never stumble as many webcomics that have come and gone before have done.

I’m very excited to see what the future has in store for your new projects (I have both the links open in other tabs, I have not looked at them yet). Bobwhite may be over, but its clear Magnolia Porter isn’t. And that’s probably the most exciting news yet.

Congratulations on three great years of Bob White. Haven’t commented here before, but I wanted to stop in to say how much I enjoyed the comic. It can be disappointing to see a strip end when it’s still so strong, but it’s good to hear that you’ve already hit the ground running with your new work. Looking forward to seeing where these new projects will take us.

I didn’t realize that this strip was their first day of college until panel 12 and then I stopped for a second to realize how fitting that was. We’ve already seen the girl’s stories and so there really wasn’t much else to say there but this was all the more meaningful since we’ve never really learned how the three of them met in the beginning. To end it on such a meaningful note, the piece of the puzzle that we were missing was the very first one, is really wonderful.
Thank you.

I started reading Bobwhite about a month ago, tore through the archives and caught up around last week. This is an amazing comic, and I’m really glad I could be here as it is ending. Thanks for all of this!

I’ve only been a recent reader but I’ve reread the archives twice and I’m sorry to say that I didn’t find this site sooner. Bobwhite is such an amazing piece, with just the right pace and storytelling that doesn’t border on neurotic.

It felt so real to me, like I can actually walk up to them and say “hi” and not feel so awkward.

I think even if the comic’s ended, I’d still visit Bobwhite if only to reread the archives. The comic never seems to lose its charm no matter how many times I read it.

Take care, good luck and looking forward in reading more of your future works.

As some others have said, I’ve been reading Bobwhite since I heard about it from Kris Straub’s blog and have really enjoyed your work. I look forward to reading Monster Pulse & Dracula Mystery Club too! Good luck!

Thank you so, so much for three wonderful years of Bobwhite! I like the way you chose to end it in this final strip. And I am very excited about your new projects. I suspect I will enjoy your work no matter what the genre. Can’t wait!

Thank you so much for writing Bobwhite! It’s been my favorite webcomic for ages now, and I can’t wait to see what projects you work on next. I started reading this as a sophomore Illustration major and have loved watching Ivy go through some of the same stuff. Thanks again!

Thank you so so much for Bobwhite. I’ve loved every page. Certainly bookmarking your new comic endeavors.
You were right, these characters are different to what’s covered elsewhere, they were like really real people, not strange empty stereotypes.

Thank you for creating such a great comic. I didn’t start reading it until quite recently (I think I finished reading through the archives three weeks ago), but I have loved every minute of it. I eagerly await your future projects (fortunately, the wait for the inception of Monster Pulse will last about as long as it takes to load the comic’s webpage).

Thanks you, and congratulations on the successful conclusion of a wonderful project.

This was a wonderful comic, and for all the reasons you wrote these college girls, I loved it. I wanted to see girls like this, having the college experience I did, somewhere. Thank you so much. I’ll be reading your next work.

That’s exactly what made this comic great, Magnolia. The fact that it’s not about perfect people but about ordinary, somewhat dumb, immature, indecisive people. I agree there’s way too many stories about “heroes” and not enough about people who try hard but end up mediocre, and yet are lovable still. Good on you and I hope to see more of this in Monster Pulse!

Even though I found this webcomic pretty late, I was still smitten by it from the start. Before I get all longwinded and rambly, I want to say thank you. For giving me a chance to laugh a little when I needed it, for making college look somewhat fun if not chaotic (and because of that I really want to go now), and for just cranking out a fantastic story that successfully juggled all the characters into place.

I’ve already subscribed to Monster Pulse via RSS, and I can’t wait for the rest of it. Cheers.

I only came on board the Bobwhite boat a couple months ago, but it was there when I needed it and it’ll be here when I need it soon. As a person who got turned down from a certain “Bobwhite” school but doesn’t want that to be the end of it, the comic gives me inspiration and hope for the future.
Thank you.

I started reading Bobwhite in its first few weeks of publication and I have to say it feels much longer than that, as if Cleo, Marlene and Ivy had been part of my life for the whole past decade. They felt very true and even if I didn’t go to college in the US, reading about them I couldn’t help but think “yeah, that’s exactly how it was, and how I felt at that time” more often than not.

So, thank you very much for it made me feel, nostalgia mainly but also a kind of relief not to be at that time of life anymore. Now, I’ll have to do a big re-read, and of course I’ll be following your new projects.

It just occurred to me that their first meeting is directly similar to where they are now at graduation. So much so that I didn’t even realize this was their first meeting at first:
1)Marlene is embarking on a new stage in her life (marrying Figley) PS the design around the mirror resembles a Jewish wedding cuppah if you think about it
2)Ivy is about to start a long distance relationship with Lewis
3)Cleo has to pack and move to a new country
It’s just like they were saying in the last comic, it never ends they just kind of recycle~ very nice tie in! (if you actually meant to do it) 😛

Thank you Magnolia. I got a little teary reading your post. I think that it’s important, especially in webcomics, to realize when something has to end. I love that you’ve started a new project, and although I’m going to miss Bobwhite, I think every comic you do will be a learning experience and you’ll get better and better every time! So onward and upward! I believe in you! Thank you so much for these wonderful three years.

I feel really obligated to say something but wasn’t sure what to say. I initially was going to try to make some really terribly analogies but they were stupid beyond belief and it’s better if they never leave my brain.

Thank you for making Bobwhite. Thank you for devoting so much time to writing and drawing a great story. Thank you for updating so often. Thank you for creating Ivy, who has been probably the only fictional character I ever felt was a lot like me. I think it’s obvious you made a big impact on not just me, but a lot of people. Anytime someone asked me for a webcomic recommendation, this was always right up there with the greats like Gunnerkrigg Court and Homestuck.

I’m looking forward to Monster Pulse. I’m looking forward to continue watching what you do and what you draw.

Sure, I’m sad that Bobwhite is ending, just like how I get sad when all good things come to an end, but I’m simultaneously elated that your characters were given a chance to breathe and, now, find a sense of closure. I came across Bobwhite while I was still in college (in the same year and everything!), and a lot of the experiences the girls had, I’ve had, in one form or another. For me, this was more than just another webcomic, it was a sort of extension of my own life, in a way. Now I have to move on just like our trio here, and it really is time for Big Changes.

Bobwhite never got stale, it never got boring, and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so consistently at anything (except for, you know, Seinfeld) like this. These were “real” characters in “real” situations who never actually strayed into “absurdly melodramatic” territory, but was still humorous! I’ll definitely re-read the archives whenever I feel the itch to re-visit Marlene, Cleo and Ivy again (which will be all the time, I’ll have you know), but I’m still also excited for your new project(s)!

You are totally one of the most inspiring webcomic artists I’ve ever followed! I’ve been following this comic since what seems like forever, so it’s going to be weird not checking it everyday. I’m excited for your next comic though!
Ohhhh, what an ending. :’)

This is the first comment I’ve ever made here, but I just wanted to let you know how much I’ve enjoyed reading Bobwhite. I only started reading a couple of months ago so I’m a little sad to see it ending! At least I have Monster Pulse to move on to though ;]

Said it once but gotta say it again – *thank you* for your art, stories, and devotion to these characters. I’m sad Bobwhite is ending, but I like how it went out, and it’s been one hell of an adventure. Not enough strips or shows or whatever end when they should end, or when their creators are done telling the stories they wanted to tell with them. Looking forward to getting to know your new comics, and best wishes!

I won’t be back to read this strip again — at least not for a while. I won’t be checking to see if this gets replied to. But, hey, whatever.

Magnolia Porter, you’ve created one of my favorite strips and had an incredible run and I’m glad to see that you’ve been able to end it on such a high note, that it seems to have done so much for you. I’ll be checking out your work on Monster Pulse and Dracula Mystery Club, and I expect the same level of entertainment from those that was given in Bobwhite. I expect it because I know you can deliver it.

I just want to say that, most of my college years, as I was reading Bobwhite, were just like that of Ivy, Cleo, and Marlene. There were times of craziness, then boredom, then craziness, and all the while, lots of uncertainty. Even though Ivy, Cleo, and Marlene have had success in their relative fields, and in their lives, I can feel that these three characters still will have to face that uncertainty for the rest of their lives, a life lesson that I am coming to realize now.

Which brings to the next part. The writing (not to mention the awesome illustrations) of all of these characters have been inspiring to me, because it felt like there were no static (i.e. two-dimensional, flat) characters in your writing at all. This fact alone gives me something to try to shoot for as I writer, which, if I’m lucky, will be possible by the time I’m on my death bed. Furthermore, this makes me especially excited for your new projects, because I’ll be anxious to see what type of characters you create next, and to what heights you’ll take them.

Still, this seems to mark an era of my life, and an amazing story about growing up, which is something that never ends.

Magnolia, your webcomic is so far the ONLY webcomic so far to have made me cry when I found out it was ending. It’s pretty much the only online series about college with *real* college student characters. Backtracking through the archive when I first discovered it was not an easy task, but I endured it for the sake of your comic’s quality in art and in writing. Thanks for all the laughs, and there were a lot of them, and good luck in your future endeavors!

Thank you so much for creating such a fantastic comic. I’ve been following Bobwhite for a while and fell in love with your writing, your art, your comedy, and how tangible these girls’ personalities are. I want to start making comics of my own and Bobwhite has played a key role in my inspiration.
Bobwhite will forever be one of my favorite comics. Every update you posted made my day brighter when it was bad and I want to thank you so much for that. I am sad to see this end, but I’m so glad to see you have more projects that are sure to be amazing.

I commented on the last strip, but now the final comic is up, and I’m very satisfied. While I would love to see where Ivy, Marlene, and Cleo (and also Ben, who I have a total fiction-crush on) go out into the world, I know that this ending is perfectly in the spirit of Bobwhite.
Thanks Magnolia, for creating one of the best webcomics I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. Your characters have a place in my heart.

I typed out a comment earlier, but my school’s Internet decided to stop working just as I clicked “Submit,” so let’s try again. I’d like to thank you for all the joy and laughter I’ve gotten from Bobwhite since I discovered it about a year ago. After a late-night archive binge (the first of three Bobwhite archive binges, actually), this immediately became my favorite webcomic.

As others have said, you have a great talent for writing characters. Their designs are highly stylized, but in a weird way, they resemble real people. I can totally imagine meeting someone who looks like a Marlene or a Cleo in real life. Their personalities are interesting and dynamic without falling into the tired old stereotypes. Not to mention, you made everyone fall in love with Dan Figley of all people. He and Marlene are two of my favorite fictional characters, by the way.

I feel like there’s more to say, but I’ll probably just end up repeating other people, so thanks again. Your comic has influenced me as both a writer and an artist. While I feel kind of sad removing it from me RSS feed, I know Monster Pulse will be great, too.

Ahh, I love this comic so much, yet don’t really know what to write. (Suppose I’m having a Cleo moment?)
But I guess, thank you for putting such a beautiful ending to Bobwhite. I was wondering where their freshmen year was, and now I see you had it all planned out. Bobwhite has been my absolute favorite webcomic ever–well, hell, just favorite comic in general. The beautiful realism of the stories, funny humor and often touching, mind-opening moments, along with the freedom of the art, somehow make me think of Calvin and Hobbes a bit. ..and I don’t know about you, but I kind of worship Watterson, so coming from me that’s a pretty big compliment.

Ahh. Can’t find the words.
Looks like you have a lot to read anyway, right? 😛

Well, like you said, this isn’t goodbye to the Bobwhite guys ‘n’ gals, nor is it my goodbye to you because I’m heading over to check out Monster Pulse right now!

Okay, so I feel like this is gonna be super cheesy but whatever.
So I discovered this comic my senior year of high school, and I myself plan on attending art college, and, i don’t know, I just could really connect with these girls and they helped me figure somethings out, and now they are kind of my heroes. But yeah, this will always have a special place in my heart.
Off to Monster Pulse!

bobwhite will always have a special place in my heart, and I’m glad I could watch it unfold from the very beginning (lol I remember when you started posting art of marlene and she has had the best character design since), I’m sure I’ll love your next stories as well. I can definitely say I do feel as if they were like my friends and I could share in their success and failures. it was a good three years. it’s amazing how everyone seems to get something out of it, yourself included.

this is one of the first webcomics i ever read, and i’ve been reading it almost daily for over a year. i know it’s not very constructive to say i cried at the end, but…..yeah. that ending was gorgeous.

I’ve never ever commented on any of these comics, and to be honest I stopped reading webcomics like, eight years ago, or something…
But I would like to say Bobwhite was rad. How vague a compliment, to be sure.

Still, it was fantastic and compelling and funny and everything about it strikes as things that could actually happen in real life. Even the cliched gender bending dopplegangers.

So basically, you should totally option this for a network series. It will be one of those ones that does terribly and keep getting its timeslot changed, but when the DVD comes out it gets critically acclaimed and remembered for years. You know, like Freaks and Geeks or something.

I just marathoned through all of Bobwhite, via a link from Tom over at Gunnerkrigg Court. I really loved it and I’m sorry it’s over, but it’s a wonderful thing and I’m glad I found it. As a former art school person, I really enjoyed it. Thanks!

Thanks so much for Bobwhite – it’s easily been one of my favorite comics for years, consistently fun and funny and interesting, for all the reasons you loved doing it that you wrote up there. Good luck to you, girls – you’ve all earned it.

I just reread the archives, and I still can’t believe that someone as young as you are could make something as fantastic as this. You started this halfway through college, right? What happened to all the absurd and terrible things that people make during that period? Why is this so catastrophically awesome?

I’d wonder what you’ll be up to in 10 years, but I won’t try to guess. Something unpredictably amazing, at this rate.

Just read the whole thing in three marathon sessions. If anyone had summarized this comic for me I would have said, “Nah, not really my thing.” But your character, dialogue and art are so brilliant, I was hooked from the beginning. Ivy, Cleo and Marlene are some of the truest characters I’ve ever encountered in webcomics.

God, I could go on and on, but I’ve already been slacking at work just to finish the archives. Thanks for this read!

Thank you for sharing the girls’ stories with us! Please don’t take this the wrong way, but the reason I got hooked on your work is the characters are so well-developed, and honestly I don’t see a lot of that in other webcomics. (Even in series that have big, dramatic, secret-revealing arcs–those always seem so affected.) It really surprised me how much all the characters reminded me of people I actually know. I only started reading bobwhite, like, a week ago. Just tore through the archives, because it’s seriously that good! And I am so excited that you have started on other works. I will continue to be a fan for many years to come. Thank you!!

As a motif the “ending is just the beginning, so I will end with the first meet” is a little overdone but…. ah who am I kidding. I’m going to enjoy your new comic, but this one will hold a special place in my finished comics folder. I wish you best with the new works and hope that the best goes for the girls. My only request would be a cameo of Frank somewhere in the next project since he is my favorite character! Heck, if you end up being able to make it to the Alternative Press Expo I’ll have to get a book and a sketch from you!

i discovered bobwhite the day it ended, and i’ve just finished reading through the archive. it was funny and touching and engaging and *real* and i loved it. thanks for making it. i’m looking forward to reading your new stuff.

I got linked here from Gunnerkrigg Court, and I’m so sad that I only got to read it as it ended. Bobwhite is a fantastic comic that I enjoyed so much, and that I recognized myself in more than I have in almost anything ever. Thank you so much for drawing it and putting it out there, and I can’t wait to see how Monster Pulse turns out!

Thank you for this comic!! I loved reading it for the reasons you mentioned: because it feels like I’m reading about the lives of real people. It’s so nice to read about girls who actually have brains and are trying to figure out their lives and make mistakes as well as good decisions.
So thank you!!!

Hi! I was linked here from the News section in Skin Deep (http://www.skindeepcomic.com/), and just finished reading through the archive. I want to say something nice here, but I can’t think what. I guess everyone has moments like that. Best of luck with your future endeavors, Ms. Porter.

We love you Magnolia! I’ve been reading Bobwhite since before graduating from design school, so it’s always been close to my heart. Thanks for all the awesome reads, and I can’t wait to see what you do next.

So I’m doing this late because a little after the comic ended I decided to reread the whole thing, and I just finished rereading. I wanted to say that I really loved Bobwhite, I loved watching the characters learn and grow, and as a college student it’s been really wonderful to read about people who are in similar situations. Thank you.